Pompeii

Covered by tons of ashes and pumice stone caused by eruption of the Vesuvius, in 79 AD, Pompeii reappeared after centuries of sleep, giving us a rare opportunity to see how the life of a Roman city was 2,000 years ago.



Amidst the modern Pompeii, the area of the ancient city is an open air museum and a archeological site where excavations are still going on. It takes just 45 minutes of train from Naples to reach the city. The exploration of ancient Pompeii can only be made on foot. During the day, the region may be very hot, as I could confirm in my visit in May 2006.

The distant silhouette of the Vesuvius volcano can be seen from almost all Pompeii, reminding us that the destiny of the region can be changed at any minute.



Scattered all over the city, you can find 2,000 years old remains of rich houses with well preserved works of art of artists whose names have been lost in time.



The great amphitheatre, which could accommodate more than 20,000 people, is one of the most preserved constructions of Pompeii.



The great gymnasium, a place used for practicing sports, is located beside the great amphitheatre and is also very well preserved.






In some isolated places of Pompeii, it is still possible to imagine the city in ancient times, as if some old dweller would get out, at any moment, from one of the houses. The main alleys are almost always full of hordes of tourists.



Capturing quality images in Pompeii is a challenge for the photographer, due to the peculiar conditions of illumination of the constructions, to the great quantity of tourists, to the heat and dust. Nevertheless, photographers are not easily discouraged by these kinds of challenge.

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